Newcastle 2-2 Chelsea: Nick Waltemaide thought Enzo Maresca’s side had only come back from two down at St James’ Park to seal a stunning win for the Magpies.
Manager Nick Waltemade put the derby disappointment behind him but could not stop Chelsea’s impressive comeback at St James’ Park on Saturday. The German striker, who scored an own goal against Sunderland last week, was on the scoresheet just four minutes after scoring Newcastle’s opener at home.
Waltemaid got back on the scoresheet midway through the first half with a fine finish from Anthony Gordon’s cross. Reece James gave Chelsea a lifeline just after the start of the second period, with Brazilian forward Joao Pedro leveling the score.
The draw leaves Chelsea in fourth place in the Premier League ahead of the weekend’s remaining games. Newcastle once again failed to win and remain in 11th place.
Here are some of the talking points about St. James Park:
read more: Newcastle immediately handed ‘stonewall’ penalty after controversy against Chelsearead more: VAR technology fails, Newcastle vs Chelsea decision explained
Waltemaid makes amends
Nick Woltemade was certainly the villain of the piece, scoring an own goal against Newcastle’s rivals Sunderland last weekend. However, it took just a few minutes for him to regain his form against Chelsea.
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made a superb stop to deny Anthony Gordon at the back post, but the ball fell to Wolte Maid just a few yards out.
This time, he made sure the ball was heading towards the right net and smashed it into the roof of the goal, scoring his sixth goal in the Premier League this season.
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VAR doubles Newcastle’s joy
The German striker doubled down on his afternoon’s work and was delighted again just 15 minutes later. After Newcastle were awarded a deep free-kick, the ball was nudged towards Gordon, who had played excellently throughout the afternoon.
He cut back to the right and fired in an inviting cross, which was casually slotted into goal by Waltemade. VAR confirmed that the goal was almost deflected offside by the striker.
However, Woltemade drove away to celebrate again and the goal was eventually awarded. The pair looked set to be recombined before the break as the former Stuttgart man missed out on a spectacular treble.
Chelsea left feeling dissatisfied.
There was no getting away from that and Chelsea’s first half performance in the North East was a disaster. They struggled to cope with Newcastle’s high-tempo approach and were understandably losing 2-0 at the break.
But just before half-time Pedro Neto appeared to halve the deficit and they thought they had found a foothold.
But the Portuguese winger clearly scored with his hands. VAR agreed with the decision, as Chelsea had no choice but to reflect on a truly disappointing performance in the dressing room.
james takes one back
While Neto failed to get into the scoring books, Chelsea captain Reece James certainly did. The Englishman rose from a long-range free-kick and curled a superb shot, sending the ball past the post and into the back of the goal.
It was exactly the kind of compensation James deserved given his injury problems in recent seasons. And if he stays fit and can produce a few more moments like that between now and the end of the season, he could certainly secure a place in England’s squad for the World Cup.
And James’ goal gave Chelsea the perfect foundation for a much improved second half.
Newcastle left furious
It looked as if Chelsea had been given a way back into the game, but Newcastle thought they should have ended it with a penalty, although it was not awarded.
Immediately after Chelsea’s goal, Gordon appeared to be brought down by Trevor Chalobah. However, neither the referee nor VAR considered the penalty worthy of a spot-kick, leaving Eddie Howe and the Newcastle players furious.
Later, in stoppage time, there was a controversial decision when substitute Barnes went down during a clean through, but VAR upheld the original decision that it was not a foul.
magpie shows soft center
Neither that decision nor Pedro’s goal for Chelsea to equalize would have made Howe feel any better. The Brazilian outmaneuvered Malik Thiau from a long ball and managed to break free.
He then calmly slotted home Aaron Ramsdale to score his fifth Premier League goal of the season with a low finish.
The slide extended Newcastle’s disappointing record in the Premier League this season, dropping them 13 points from the top of the table.
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